Eternal
by linkinparkh2over
Summary: Slight AU; The team is back from Tokyo, where Robin and Starfire never kissed. Robin has made the transition into Nightwing, and Starfire, well...she's moving on. Nightwing doesn't like that. After staying quiet for weeks, he finally decides to confront her about it. Oneshot. RobStar.


**Wow, it has been a very long time since I have posted anything on this website. If you saw an update and was hoping I had added another chapter to Desperate Acquaintances, I am so sincerely sorry. However, I have good news - this is my attempt to get back into the swing of things so that I can ultimately rewrite and finish DA. I promise! I have never forgotten that story, and I will finish it. But first...**

**I do not own the Teen Titans.**

He had reached the roof just in time. Starfire was standing on the edge of the giant, T-shaped tower, preparing to step off of the ledge and begin her flight. Even though he had but a few moments to take in the sight of her, he used at least one of those moments to steal a glance for himself, noticing for the billionth time how well she had filled out over the years.

Her hair was still that magnificent shade of auburn red. Her skin held the same orange glow that made his heart skip a beat whenever it caught the sun the right way. Her shapely legs were not hidden by her boots today, as she was wearing sandals instead. The white sundress she wore allowed him to admire her long legs that had only recently stopped growing. He loved those calves, those thighs. She had a denim jacket hanging over her arm and her hair pulled back into a long ponytail. He wished she'd wear civies around the tower more often, she looked great tonight. But she usually reserved these civilian outfits for when she went out on a date. Date.

She was going out on a date.

"Starfire, wait!" he called. This realization had pulled him out of his thoughts at exactly the right moment. She paused in the air, having just taken off. She knew that voice, she knew it was him, but she still turned around to face him. She smiled, and returned obediently to the roof to stand in front of him.

"Greetings, friend."

"Uh, greetings. I mean hey." _That was smooth_.

They stood awkwardly in front of each other for a few moments, taking each other in in the silence. It had been a weird few weeks. Starfire had by no means been uncivil towards him, but she had stopped seeking him out. They hadn't been alone together since Tokyo, and that was some months ago. He had noticed her distancing herself from him, and he had decided to be respectful of her feelings and wait it out. He knew how to compartmentalize his feelings for her, he had been doing it for years. After he had told her that they could never be anything more than friends, he knew that there would be some type of backlash. He didn't expect her to get over him overnight, and he decided that it would be easier to give her some space and let her get over it in her own way, rather than force his company on her and drag this thing out.

But it had been a long 7 months. There were so many times that he had stood outside of her closed door, debating whether or not to knock. He never did. But he missed her so much; he missed everything about her. He missed her hugs, he missed watching the sun set in amiable silence. He missed explaining things to her. Every time he heard her ask Raven to clarify something his stomach gave an uncomfortable jolt. That used to be his job.

Then, a little over a few weeks ago - 24 days, to be exact - she had walked out of her bedroom in jeans and a crop top, announcing to the team that she was going out. When Beast Boy had asked why she was going out in civies, she replied "is this not proper attire to wear when one has been asked out on a date?"

Time had stood still for a moment. He thought his heart had stopped. He had certainly forgotten to breathe. Did she say she was going out on a date? All at once time caught up with him, and he realized that Starfire was gone. Beast Boy was waving his hand in front of his face. He caught his wrist, unamused.

"Ouch, dude! Jeez I was just asking if you wanted to play video games with me and Cy!" Beast Boy glared at him, still rubbing his wrist. Why were they all acting so normal? Didn't they just hear Starfire say that she was going on a date?

"I'm not in the mood" was all he could choke out before turning to leave the room. Pausing at the door, he turned to Raven. She was watching him curiously from the corner, her open book in her lap.

"You knew about this?" he asked her quietly. She considered him for a moment, then nodded once. As he opened his mouth again, she spoke.

"Before you ask, I'm not telling you who it is." He opened his mouth again, angrily this time. "Seriously. I'm not telling you. So don't even start." He glared at her, turning to leave.

"Nightwing." He turned back around, grudgingly, slowly, and only partially aware that Cyborg and Beast Boy had paused their game to listen to his conversation with Raven. Raven had an odd look on her face...was that sympathy? "He's no one you know. And she's going to be safe."

The doors slid quietly shut behind him, but not before he heard Beast Boy say "I told you he'd freak when he found out."

Hours in the training room did nothing to ease the knots in his stomach, not that night, or the night after, or the night after that. He stood before her now, on the roof, with those same knots in his stomach. They had never gone away.

"Nightwing?" she asked loudly, and he realized that this was not the first time she had said his name. Apparently he had been lost in his thoughts for the second time this evening. He offered her a small smile in apology.

"Going out again?" he asked. Although he was immediately sorry he asked. Hearing her answer was only half as painful as seeing the smile that accompanied it.

"Indeed. We are going to the theatre of cinematic viewing!" she said, positively beaming. "Then we are going to share in the partaking of dinner at -"

He cut her off. He couldn't bare to hear anymore.

"Are you just doing this to make me jealous?" he knew he had messed up as soon as the words were out of his mouth. She raised her eyebrow at him, no longer smiling.

"Excuse me?"

He winced at her tone. "Sorry, I didn't mean for it to sound like that. It's just...ever since Tokyo you've been all sulky, and then all of a sudden you're dating someone!" He watched her face carefully as she pondered his words, realizing as her eyebrows became furrowed that he had messed up again.

"Did it ever occur to you that what I was doing was not the sulking, but simply the moving on?" she said it slowly, quietly, watching for his reaction.

It hadn't occurred to him. In the entire time that he had known Starfire, he had never stopped to wonder what it would feel like to see her move on. Why hadn't he considered that possibility when he had told her that they could never be more than friends? He stayed quiet for as long as he dared, but when she turned her back to him and prepared to leave once more, he knew he'd rather keep talking about his feelings than see her leave.

"I never thought about this." Apparently her curiosity got the best of her, because she paused on the ledge before turning around to face him once more. Seeing that he had her attention, he walked forward to sit on the ledge beside where she stood, facing the city that he had sworn to protect. The city that he had rejected her for, in order to protect. He continued, "I never thought about how painful it would be to see you move on."

She lowered herself so that she was seated beside him, a look of mingled surprise and understanding on her face.

"Nightwing, you are my best friend. You will always be...special...to me." He looked into those bright green orbs and knew that she was telling the truth. "But I do want more. I did want more. I crave companionship. And you made it very clear that we are never to have that."

He nodded his head, looking out again at the city. Swallowing the lump that was beginning to form at the back of his throat.

"Star, just because we can't have a relationship doesn't mean that I don't want one. It's just hard to see you dating someone else. It's going to be hard for a while." _Possibly forever_.

To his surprise, she leaned over and enveloped him in a soft hug. "I thank you for your honesty." He melted into her hug, inhaling the scent of her hair and wrapping his arms around her in response.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, but it still seemed to end too soon when she softly removed herself from his arms. He turned to look at her, and she returned his somber gaze with a gentle smile.

"Apologies, friend, but I must leave now to avoid being late." He didn't trust himself to speak, so he nodded silently, trusting that Starfire would understand him anyway, like she always did. She patted him on the shoulder, giving it a light squeeze before she took to the air once more.

"Starfire!" he yelled. He was standing now, when had he stood up? She turned around to face him in the air, but did not return to the roof. She remained hovering a few feet away from the ledge, and they took each other in for a few more moments.

"Is this guy, uhh...Is this thing you guys have...Are you guys serious?" He rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. But he couldn't tear his eyes away from her face. He needed to know. In the silence that followed he felt a blush creep across his cheeks.

For the first time this evening, she paused to consider him. He, too, had filled out nicely over the years. He was no longer scrawny, he was tall and muscular. There was just about an inch difference in their heights, and he had once jokingly reminded her that he was not yet finished growing. He may even pass her by the time he was finished. He was growing his hair out, and at some point he had begun finding it necessary to shave. When had that happened?

Even now, he had a little more than a five o'clock shadow around his mouth and chin, but she found that she didn't mind the scruffy look on him. She quite liked it, actually. It went with the dark Nightwing suit nicely.

Slowly, she drifted towards him, closing the gap between them. Nightwing continued to watch her, and one of her stomachs gave the funny little jolt that she always experienced when she realized he was watching her. He never looked at Raven like this. He didn't spend extra time watching Cyborg or Beast Boy in battle. Even during mealtimes, he almost always sat across from her, and she caught him stealing glances when he thought she wasn't looking. She didn't mind it, she knew she was guilty of doing the exact same thing to him.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity to Nightwing, she spoke.

"No, Nightwing. While Nathaniel is an amiable and enjoyable companion, I do not believe that things will become serious between us." She paused, considering him. "Nor do I believe I wish them to."

It took all of his effort to stop a smile from spreading across his face. "You don't?"

She shook her head. "No, I do not. You see, when a Tamaranean falls in love, that love is eternal. No matter the circumstances, my love for you is eternal." He gaped at her. She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before finally taking off.

Feeling weak, he sat back down on the roof and watched her flying form recede into the city's skyline. Keeping one gloved finger over the spot where she had kissed him, he thought he finally felt those knots in his stomach begin to loosen. A smile spread slowly across his face. Her love for him was eternal.

"So is mine, for you." He said it out loud, if only to be able to hear himself say the words.

After a few more minutes, he got up and walked back across the roof. When he reached the doorway he turned back around to steal one more glance at the city where Starfire now sat in a dark movie theatre with a man who would never be able to earn her love.

Nightwing opened the door and slipped soundlessly inside, deciding to skip dinner and head to his room instead. Where, still smiling, he fully intended to research every "Nathaniel" who lived within 50 miles of Jump City Movie Theatres.

**Hopefully you didn't hate it! Leave a review if you're feeling up to it and tell me how I did. It's been a very long time since I have written anything that wasn't meant to be handed in to a TA at the beginning of class :)**


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